The whistle was nowhere near Anthony Taylor's mouth but the ground was emptying as fans hurried to the exits. Not an unfamiliar sight at the London Stadium, true, but this was different.

It was the Tottenham end that was clearing, the home stands still packed, celebrating, twisting and shouting. It was the night West Ham have been longing for at their new home. It was the marquee victory their campaign has been missing.

And it was. A 1-0 win, same as last year; that dealt a savage blow to Tottenham's title ambitions, same as last year.

The change was the location. All year, West Ham fans have complained that their new home isn't like Upton Park. Well, this time it was. A night game, a boisterous atmosphere and a result that proved West Ham can still be inspired in these unfamiliar surrounds. They were the better team over 90 minutes.

In fact, they could have won by more, had Jonathan Calleri and Ashley Fletcher taken late chances. Tottenham's travellers admitted as much by scurrying into the night. The pursuit has proved too much for them, again. All eyes were on leaders Chelsea but, in reality, it is the chasing team that cannot afford even one misstep.

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To be fair, the warning sign was there at Selhurst Park two weeks ago. Tottenham were ordinary that night but were saved by a great goal from Christian Eriksen. That wasn't going to happen again. They couldn't be rescued by a second 30-yard screamer. Dip once more, and the cost would be huge. They did. It was.

The bottom line being that this time next week, Chelsea could be champions. This defeat leaves them four points clear with a game in hand. Beat Middlesbrough on Monday and the lead becomes seven. Win at West Bromwich on Friday and it stretches to 10 — and Tottenham will have only three games to play.

At that point, the title race is run. Tottenham would be, at best, second. Pipped again. The match against Manchester United, the last at the old White Hart Lane, would then become a purely ceremonial affair, the noise deafened by the party taking place across the other side of town.

James Collins celebrates from the West Ham half as he watches Lanzini give his side the lead with a close-range strike

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic shows clear signs of relief and jubilation after watching his side take the lead over Tottenham

The advertising boarding collapses after Lanzini celebrated in front of the West Ham fans following his crucial goal

GRAHAM POLL - THE OFFICIAL LINE

Kyle Walker flew into Manuel Lanzini after just 12 minutes to pick up the game's first yellow card and was outdone by Mark Noble three minutes later. Both tackles were strong but only worthy of cautions.

The biggest moment of the first half, though, came when Hugo Lloris raced out of his penalty area and cleaned out Lanzini, ball and anything else that was coming through.

He was fortunate that he played the ball first or Spurs would have lost their excellent keeper for this game and the next one.

The irony is that, once, Tottenham would have regarded a season like this as a great success. Second-best team in the country, back in the Champions League and above Arsenal. Now it hurts. So near, yet so far, for the second season in succession.

Certainly it was painful to see their dreams dashed here, of all places, at a stadium where the best teams have had little to fear of late. West Ham had not beaten a single team from inside the top eight, home or away, this season before Friday night.

Arsenal and Manchester City, in particular, had run riot at the new place. Many Tottenham fans thought their team would, too, on the back of nine straight wins.

Yet this fixture has bad memories for the visitors. Tottenham like to mock their neighbours to the east by telling them that this fixture is West Ham's cup final. Yet, if it is, they have risen to the occasion to deal some pretty big blows in recent years.

Upton Park was the venue of the famous lasagne-gate debacle, when Tottenham blew their chance to finish above Arsenal and qualify for the Champions League in 2006. Last season, a 1-0 defeat dealt a savage blow to their hopes of chasing down Leicester. And now this.

No wonder Tottenham's players looked shell-shocked after going behind in the 65th minute. Maybe they were thinking that, as against Crystal Palace, a special moment would lift them out of their funk. Instead, it was West Ham who found the winning goal.

Persistence paid off as Aaron Cresswell got a cross in at the second attempt which Tottenham failed to repel. Mark Noble put it back, another chance to clear was lost, Andre Ayew couldn't turn the ball in and instead it fell to Manuel Lanzini.

Mark Noble goes in for a tackle on Tottenham star Eric Dier with a high foot, leading to calls for a red card

Referee Anthony Taylor decides to show the West Ham captain a yellow card for the challenge as Tottenham players protest

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris rushes out of his area and just beats West Ham attacker Lanzini to the ball

Lanzini is sent flying by Tottenham's captain Lloris, but the France international is adjudged to have won the ball fairly

SUPER LANZINI

9 - Manuel Lanzini has now scored nine goals in 14 matches against London clubs — 60 per cent of his West Ham strikes. He has scored against Crystal Palace (4), Spurs (3) and Chelsea (2).

He was inside the six-yard box, Spurs scrambling to smother. Too late. He lashed the ball past Hugo Lloris and a despairing Toby Alderweireld on the line. The London Stadium erupted. Lanzini was booked for fuelling that fire over in one corner, where a fan required treatment.

Did Tottenham respond? Hardly. They had possession, but nothing that suggested they would find a way back. Instead, West Ham could have put them away when Alderweireld was caught in possession by Jonathan Calleri, who seemed to get into the perfect position, only to give Lloris a lifeline with a shot at a lovely height to save.

In the final minute of injury time, Ashley Fletcher broke away but with only Lloris to beat, screwed his shot just wide. By then, few remained at the visitors end. They knew the explosion of schadenfreude that would come at the final whistle, even if Chelsea were the true beneficiaries of this victory.

Yet West Ham got what they deserved. They had the better of the first half, too, matching both Tottenham's goal threat and their midfield physicality. Referee Taylor tried to make his mark by handing out early yellow cards, although two of his first three seemed harsh.

Kyle Walker was booked after 12 minutes for what appeared a perfectly legitimate tackle on Lanzini, while Winston Reid's challenge on Victor Wanyama in the 39th minute was a foul, but the free-kick could easily have sufficed. Only Noble's foul on Eric Dier after 15 minutes warranted a card, maybe a card and a half, considering he recklessly hit his standing leg.

Tottenham striker Kane hits the ball from distance in an attempt to break the deadlock against West Ham

West Ham goalkeeper Adrian is equal to the effort, making a fantastic save to deflect the ball over the bar and for a corner

The Spanish goalkeeper made several excellent saves to keep Tottenham at bay and prove a point after a difficult season

Adrian celebrates on his own at the opposite end of the pitch after seeing Lanzini score what would prove to be the winner

West Ham also felt they should have had a penalty when Lloris cleaned Lanzini out, one on one, after 29 minutes — although that would have been a harsh call. Noble played a lovely ball through, Lanzini eluded Tottenham's backline but took a huge hit from Lloris just outside the area, getting ball, man, and just about anything else in his vicinity.

Anywhere else on the pitch, its sheer ferocity might have made it a foul, but Taylor made the right call. To act, he would have had to send Lloris off as the last line of defence. That would have been terribly unfair.

Anyway, the debate would have been moot had Cheikhou Kouyate completed the job with Lloris floored and the goal at his mercy. Instead he delivered a sloppy lobbed finish and the moment passed.

Tottenham's best chance came after 21 minutes, Dele Alli and Harry Kane combining as they have done so many times this season, but kept out by goalkeeper Adrian and resolute defence.

Tottenham are still the coming force, but will have to find a way of recreating White Hart Lane at Wembley next season. As West Ham will vouch, that stuff is much easier said than done.

West Ham manager Bilic and his Tottenham counterpart Pochettino confront one another on the touchline

Tottenham players jostle with their West Ham counterparts as they wait for a free-kick to be delivered into the Hammers' box

Match-winner Lanzini is embraced by his manager as he makes his way off the field to a standing ovation at London Stadium

West Ham fans celebrate in the London Stadium stands as they see their side move into the top half of the Premier League

Bilic salutes the West Ham crowd after seeing his side end the title hopes of Tottenham with a deserved victory

Tottenham midfielder and PFA Young Player of the Year Alli leaves the London Stadium field with his head in his hands